Haven't posted in a while due to being busy with retirement. But today when I was trying to square away the Jeep for the drive cross country to Arizona I ran into an issue. The guys at Precision Tune failed the Jeep because the the Tie Rod on the drag link was loose and wouldn't tighten. Well I installed the synergy drag link flip kit about a year ago and when I took it to the off road shop after failing the inspection they said that the knuckle has been destroyed by the Tie Rod end moving around inside it. So in order to pass inspection and be able to make it to Arizona they are going to weld the hole in the knuckle and re drill for the tie rod. But they recommend that I replace the knuckle and tie rod end as soon as possible. I also will need to replace the ball joints. Any suggestions?

Btw, I will never purchase synergy suspension products again. First my front end is 1/2" - 1" lower than the rear and now this. If I wanted these issues I would have bought Rough Country ty.

Are you sure everything was installed properly the first time? Flip kits require the knuckles to be redrilled and if not done properly or if the nuts aren't torqued properly you will get a nut loosening. This is why they use lock/castle nuts on things like that. As for the rake in the suspension, did it advertise it as sitting level, do you have stock bumpers or any other heavy things? Not to say something may not be wrong but I see lots of people blame manufacturers for installation problems or usage problems, they can't contend for everything.

I won't say that the issue with the flip kit is no doubt the manufacturer because of the reasons you stated concerning the install, which me and a buddy did. But we definitely followed the instructions very carefully. But the sag in the front suspension is not warranted. I have a rugged ridge stubby and smittybilt 7500 lbs winch on the front. I know guys with beastly warn winches sitting on much heavier bumpers that don't have as much lean as mine.

Are they on the same lift from Synergy? The only times I've seen ball joints come loose on flips or redrills is when they weren't drilled properly or torqued/locked. I know lots of people who put a winch and steel bumper on the front and lose 3/4", its actually pretty common, especially on progressive rate springs.

There was an issue with some of the tre's that went out with the synergy drag link flip kit. Contact them about it and they should take care of you.
There is a thread about it over at jkowners about it.

And btw your front end should be 1/2"-1" lower then the rear. I can't believe all the dorks that think their rigs should sit perfectly level.

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A tie rod that loose you should feel enough to look your self, i live in AZ, we have enough laws now. flipping the drag link after its done YOU did it or THey"Paid to". That is something that should have been checked a few times after install. If the hole on redrill was botched i wonder if it could go to bigger tie rod end, 1ton. welding that hole up sounds like it would heat the hell out of the end. i wonder if sleeving(welded) it with dom then reream that.

A tie rod that loose you should feel enough to look your self, i live in AZ, we have enough laws now. flipping the drag link after its done YOU did it or THey"Paid to". That is something that should have been checked a few times after install. If the hole on redrill was botched i wonder if it could go to bigger tie rod end, 1ton. welding that hole up sounds like it would heat the hell out of the end. i wonder if sleeving(welded) it with dom then reream that.

Yeah, I spoke with my off-road shop when they did a temporary fix and it sounds to me that the hole was drilled incorrectly and the movement of the tie rod end made it worse.

Yeah, I spoke with my off-road shop when they did a temporary fix and it sounds to me that the hole was drilled incorrectly and the movement of the tie rod end made it worse.

They probably used either the wrong taper or went too deep... both common errors.

Welding (or more precisely the cool down after welding) WILL weaken the core structure of the part. Sleeving is iffy as the sleeve will likely NOT have the same work hardening characteristic of the base bore and the taper of the ball joint could change the press fit tolerance of the sleeve3 at top or bottom - making it want to "squirt out" the sleeve.. It can be salvaged by welding, reaming then heating to above 850F and quenched - but only the surface will fully harden - the core will remain lamellar (crystalline).

By then you are way better off $$ and failure risk wise replacing the darn thing.

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J Wm Bishop EA, ASADE
I'm cured, I'm CURED - My psychiatrist said there is nothing more he can do for me!!!

Btw, I will never purchase synergy suspension products again. First my front end is 1/2" - 1" lower than the rear and now this. If I wanted these issues I would have bought Rough Country ty.

So a botched drill-job and/or suspect torque was Synergy's fault? Lol. Sorry, got to side with Synergy on this one, they've got top-notch products.

IMHO, that the most important practice in adding aftermarket components - especially when they are suspension, wheel and/or steering related - is to either have routine/regular maintenance performed by a *competent* mechanic or do it yourself. Personally, I double check all torques on my suspension after I remove/replace them; check them soon after to make sure they haven't loosened right away; then check again on a regular basis or after I've hit the trails hard. These things are just too important to simply 'whack on' and forget about them.

Anyways, sounds like a ****ty deal, I sure hope everything gets resolved so you can get your rig back on the road.

If you had paid. attention to all of the posts and when they were posted, you'd see that; 1) At the time of my initial post I didn't know what the problem was, and 2) I wasn't blaming the issue with drag link on Synergy in my OP. Unfortunately, I have had negative experiences with Synergy. Missing parts, incorrect parts, missing hardware and fitment issues. And the Jeep sitting much lower in the front. (To the fella that said it supposed to sit much lower, I have 10+ buddies with Jeeps and none have as noticeable of a lean as mine.) But, in Synergys defense, the issue with the drag link was not their fault.

You should see the condition of some vehciles I see on a daily basis.No brakes at all since a front caliper piston fell out due to extremely worn brakes(yes it can happen) and they don't want to fix that but want there AC to blow cold.